Berkshire Veterans Photo Project Features Local Vets

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Photo by Bill Wright
World War II veteran Margaret Haggerty
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts is about to open an exhibition of the Berkshire Veterans Photography Project, which features more than two dozen Berkshire County residents who have served in the military.

The photos were taken by professional commercial and portrait photographer Bill Wright, himself a military veteran of the Gulf War. Wright's subjects range from a 22-year-old who has already served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, to a 99-year-old woman who served in World War II. Other subjects include local writer Kevin O’Hara, who served in the Vietnam War, and retired Judge Rudolph Sacco, a World War II veteran.

On Friday, March 12, from 5 to 7 p.m., the center, located at 28 Renne Ave., will host a free opening reception for the show. The show will run through April 10.

The Berkshire Veterans Photography Project is part of the upcoming Big Read community book project, the third to be held in Pittsfield in recent years. This year’s Big Read focuses on the Vietnam War novel "The Things They Carried," by Tim O’Brien, and spans the month of April 2010, the 35th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.

For more information on participating in The Big Read: "The Things They Carried," contact Ryan Weightman at the Office of Cultural Development, at rweightman@pittsfieldch.com or 413-499-9348. Free readers guides to "The Things They Carried" are available at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, the Berkshire Athenaeum, and Chapters Bookstore.
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BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 
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